Joy is home from the hospital!

Joy is doing well, although she’s tired and pretty stiff. It will take a while to build her strength back up and loosen her pretzel-like limbs.  But her color is good, she seems happy, and we are so glad that she is home.

The initial reason for going to the hospital was bleeding at her feeding tube site. That was caused by a skin ulcer, and it is healing well. (It looks kind of like a puncture wound right now.)

Tube feedings began on Sunday, and by trial and error, the doctor and nurses discovered that Joy’s stomach is really tiny. She can only tolerate 30ccs, administered slowly over an hour’s time. So she can no longer be gravity fed as we have done in the past. She’s on a pump which will regulate her feeding to be at 30ccs per hour.

The slower feeding will be a lot better for Joy, and the process of feeding her will also be easier for me. Other things – dressing, diapering, bathing, physical therapy, going out to church or shopping – will be more complicated, with her being attached to the feeding pump 24 hours a day.

• Pray that the skin around Joy’s feeding tube site will continue to heal and fill back in. 
• Pray for us as we adjust to Joy being on a pump 24 hours a day. 
• Pray that Joy’s quality of life will continue to stimulate her and make her happy, even though for right now she is more limited in getting around.